Improvement in light carriages



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I. C. HEATER.

LIGHT-CARRIAGES. No. 176,955. "Patented May 2, 1876.

WITNESSES INVENTOR N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

'WW i ATTORNEYS'Q 2 Sheets- 811s 2.

J. C. HEATER.

LIGH'T-CARRIAGES. 1 Patented May 2, 1876.

INVENTOR -N. FETERQ. PNOTOLITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D. Q

' UNITED STATES JOHN O. HEATER, OF CLIFFORD, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO ISAAC HENDY GULF, OF PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN-LIG'HT CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 176,956, dated May 2, 1876; application filed February 18, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN G. HEATER, of

Clifford, in the county of Wellington, Province of Ontario, and Dominion of Canada,

have invented a new and valuable Improve ment in Light Carriages; and I'do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making apart of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal vertical section of my. buggy, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detail views, thereof.

This invention has relation to light fourwheel vehicles; and it consists, mainly, in fourlevers or reaches, which are extended up through the bottom of the carriage-body, in combination with a horizontal elliptic spring, to which'the upper ends of the said levers or reaches are suitably connected, thereby obtaining'freedom of motion from the spring as well as from the reaches. The invention also consists in braces for the carriage-body, which connect the latter to the levers or reaches and allow free spring-play, and at the same time prevent lateral tilting of the body. My invention finally consists in a novel construction of a box for the fifth-wheel, which box will allow the front axle to oscillate in it, and thus render unnecessary the use of articulating thill-couplings.

In the annexed drawings, A designates a carriage-body, which may be of any suitable style. B B B B designate levers or reaches, which are curved, as shown in the drawings. The rear reaches are rigidly secured to the rear axle O, which may be straight or bowed, and thefront reaches are rigidly secured to a spring-bar, D, connected to the front axle O, as will be hereinafter explained. About midway of the length of the reaches they are turned upward and passed freely through the bottom of the bodyA beneath the seat, where they are attached centrally to an elliptic sprin g, E, which is horizontally arranged.

Instead of securing the upper ends of the reaches directly to the elliptic spring E, bars of suitable length may be secured to the spring, and the upper ends of the reaches secured to the ends of these bars.

The rear reaches B B are sustained by braces c c, and the front reaches B B are sustained by diagonal braces d d.

Braces g are rigidly secured to the bottom of the body A, extendedforward and connected to the rear reaches by joints at i. .Braces g are rigidly secured to the bottom of the body A, extended backward and downward at suitable distance below the reaches B, and terminated by steps h. These braces g are allowed to play freely through loops k, fixed to the reaches B.

The body A is thus allowed to have free vertical play, and a very easy-riding "ehicle is obtained.

The fifth-wheel G is circular-in form, cupshaped, and constructed with parallel ribs f f on its upper side, between which the springbar D is rigidly secured. This fifth-wheel G receives a circular table, H, having a beveled periphery, which table is formed on or secured to the upper half of a block, J, the lower half of which is secured to it by means of a clip-plate and bolts, as shown.

The king-bolt m, which passes up through the table H and fifth-wheel G, has a tenon, '00, formed on its head, which tenon is received into a cross-groove made in the axle O.

The tenon m allows a limited oscillation of the axle, for the-purpose mentioned in the preamble.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The reaches B B, attached to the rear and front axles, passing up through the body, and united at their upper ends under the seat by the horizontal elliptic spring E, in combination with the rear brace g, pivoted at its lower end to the rear reach, and at- In testimony that I claim the above I have tached at its upper end to the body, andfront hereunto subscribed my name in'the presence brace g, attached to the body, and passing of twowitnesses. through theloop k, substantially as and for the purpose set-forth. JOHNv CALVIN HEATER.

2. llhe circular table H for the fifth-wheel G, formed on a box through which the front Witnesses: axle G passes, the latter being grooved to re- -A.--S. ALLAN, ceive the tenon w on the head of the king-bolt CROB'L. BIGGAR. m, substantially as described. 

